1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to related word presentation devices which make association dictionaries composed of electric data, and in particular to a related word presentation device which generates association dictionaries each indicating words related to a predetermined word, and presents, as related words, the words related to the predetermined word using the association dictionary.
2. Background Art
Conventional devices include a program search device which obtains a search word (search condition) from a user and searches a list of television programs for programs associated to the search word.
Other proposed devices include a related word presentation device which presents, to a user, related words related to an inputted search word so that the user can search out a desired sentence (program) by repeatedly inputting search words (for example, see Patent Reference 1).
The user can perform narrow-down search and omission prevention search for programs based on search words by selecting a related word as a new search word from among related words presented by the related word presentation device and inputting the selected word into the program search device.
In other words, the program search device searches out programs associated with the search word inputted by the user and presents the programs as the search results. Here, in the case where the program search device performs narrow-down search upon receiving a next search word inputted by the user, the program search device searches out programs associated with the next search word from among the programs obtained as the search results based on the previously inputted search word. Meanwhile, in the case where the program search device performs omission prevention search upon receiving a next search word inputted by the user, the program search device presents a logical sum of the programs associated with the next search word and the programs associated with the previously inputted search word.
The related word presentation device in Patent Reference 1 presents related words as next search word candidates in order to prevent omission in search (perform omission prevention search) when a small number of search results is obtained based on a search word inputted by the user.
Accordingly, in an exemplary case where a single related word is selected as a next search word from among related words presented by the related word presentation device in Patent Reference 1, the program search device calculates the logical sum of the search word and the previous search word, and repeats search. Here, since the related words presented to the user have close relationships with the search word inputted by the user, the user can obtain search results which gradually increase from the search results obtained first.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-334106